MANITOBA WOMEN’ S JUNIOR HOCKEY LEAGUE
now,’ so we grabbed her in the third round and she’ s been great.” Mizeracki, 128, has played seven of the team’ s 16 games and went through a streak in November, when she recorded three straight shutouts. She’ s 6-0-1 on the season with a 0.86 goals against average and a. 969 save percentage.
Considering that Caryk, 19, the star in last year’ s league championship run, still has one more season in junior after this one, goaltending is the one thing that Benediktson doesn’ t have to worry about.“ They are both great kinds to have on the team and both great teammates,” said Benediktson.“ And Caryk is an engineering student so she’ s also way smarter than I am.” This is Caryk’ s third season with Polar Ice and she is indeed a thirdyear Civil Engineering student at the University of Manitoba. For her, the MWJHL is perfect.“ Yeah, I like this league a lot,” she said.“ We have a great group of girls and it gives me a perfect amount of ice time. Caryk started playing out of Southdale – the Dakota Lazers-- and then moved a few times, working her up from an A2 player to an A2 threw on the equipment, I asked the coach if I could just stay in goal. My parents chuckled and shook their heads, but they’ ve been really supportive.” A Glenlawn Collegiate graduate, she played all her minor hockey in St. Vital and while having your daughter become a goaltender isn’ t always ideal, Caryk’ s parents were all over her decision.“ It’ s true that some parents wonder about it, but my talent as a forward wasn’ t so good so they had no problem with me taking up goaltending,” she said.“ In fact, they were quite supportive.” Caryk is one of those rare successful female players who never played any boys hockey. She started a little later, at age nine, and she has played every season with other girls. These days, her toughest assignment is balancing her love for hockey with the effort that’ s required to be a successful engineering student.“ It’ s a challenge, trying to find that balance between school and hockey but it’ s a good time,” she said.“ That’ s why I like this league. It gives me the opportunity to play competitive hockey and still go to school.”
I guess my immediate goals are that I want to graduate and get my civil engineering degree and then I want to give back to the game, I’ m sure I’ ll do a little bit of coaching. I want to play as long as I can and stay in touch with the game goalie up to A1 and Double A. Her road to the big pads was interesting but actually pretty simple.“ I decided to play goal because the goalie on our team at the time got hurt so my coach dropped a bunch of equipment in the change room right before practice one day and said,‘ Somebody had better have that on when practice starts,’ and so I put it on,” she said with a laugh.“ I was in Grade 7( 12-years-old) and he just said to all the skaters,‘ Somebody put that on,’ and I was the one who volunteered and it turned out that I liked the position a lot more. In fact, when I
112 GAME ON 2016- 17 ROSTER DEADLINE EDITION
She really does love the game and at some point, wants to be able to give back to a sport that gave her so much.“ I guess my immediate goals are that I want to graduate and get my civil engineering degree and then I want to give back to the game,” she said.“ I’ m sure I’ ll do a little bit of coaching. I want to play as long as I can and stay in touch with the game. At the end of next season, I’ ll probably go on to play in either a typical beer league or maybe play senior women’ s. regardless, I’ m not thinking at all about playing my last game anytime soon.” Especially not now, while she’ s playing on a team that could win another MWJHL crown.“ I’ ve won a few championships, last year’ s championship and two others with the Vics. Winning championships never gets old.“ I just enjoy playing here. We have a really good team and we have a chance to win back-to-back league championships. That would be pretty nice and that’ s definitely the plan. For now, I’ m really enjoying myself and hockey’ s fun.” n